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Winster

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Wikipeia tells us:

"Winster is a village in the English Derbyshire Dales about 5 miles (8 km) from Matlock and 6 miles (10 km) from Bakewell at an altitude of approximately 820 feet (250 m). It was formerly a centre for the lead mining industry. The village lies within the Peak District National Park and The Peak District Boundary Walk runs through the village."

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Archives & Libraries

CERIDWEN has a photograph of the former Parish Reading Room and Library on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2009.

Winster is now served by the Mobile Library on route N, which makes a stop by the Post Office every fourth Friday in the early morning.

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Bibliography

  • Winster, A Peak District Village Remembers. Winster Local History Group, 2000. No ISBN. The book can be ordered from the Winster village website.
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Cemeteries

Basher EYRE has a photograph of the churchyard at St. John the Baptist on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2015.

David BEVIS has a photograph of the churchyard gate on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2010.

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Census

  • The parish was in the Matlock sub-district of the Bakewell Registration District.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1851H.O. 107 / 2150
1861R.G. 9 / 2541
1891R.G. 12 / 2775
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist.
     
  • The tower was added to the church in 1721.
     
  • The church, except for the tower, was rebuilt and enlarged in 1842.
     
  • The church was restored in 1883.
     
  • The church seats 450.
     
  • There is a photograph of the church at Sheena Woodhead's website.
     
  • Alan HEARDMAN has a photograph of the Church of St. John on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2008.
     
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Church Records

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Civil Registration

  • Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
     
  • The parish was in the Matlock sub-district of the Bakewell Registration District.
     
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Description & Travel

"WINSTER, although but a chapelry to Youlgreave, and now an inconsiderable village, was once a market town of some note. It is six miles from Bakewell, and 13 S.W. from Chesterfield, situate on the old road from Ashbourn to the latter town, and midway between the river Derwent and the Cromford and High Peak railway, about three miles from each; with the latter of which a branch communication is contemplated."

[Description from Pigot and Co's Commercial Directory for Derbyshire, 1835]

Winster is smack-dab in the centre of Derbyshire 5 miles due west of Matlock. Like many villages in the area, this was once a lead mining community.

You can see pictures of Winster which are provided by:

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Directories

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Gazetteers

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History

  • Winster was mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book when it was owned by Henry de FERRERS.
     
  • The Market House was the National Trust's first property in the Peak District and was acquired in 1906. It is open daily as a National Trust information point.
     
  • Dawn SCOTTING of N.Z. has a number of online records for Winster.
     
  • Winster has a long-established morris dance tradition. The "Winster Guisers" are a group who perform a traditional mummers play in and around the village of Winster during the Christmas season. Their performance is based on a photograph taken c. 1870 outside Winster Hall. A "guiser" is someone who wears a disguise.
     
  • David MARTIN has a photograph of the Old Bowling Green public house on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2014.
     
  • Ceridwen has a photograph of one of the sites of public water tap on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2009.
     
  • A murder took place in Winster in 1821. You can read about the CUDDIEs and BRIITLEBANKs in the Winster Local History Group, Newsletter of May 2001 (last page of the Portable Document File).
     
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Manors

  • Dennis THORLEY has a photograph of Winster Hall on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2005.
     
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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK238602 (Lat/Lon: 53.138149, -1.645578), Winster which are provided by:

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Military History

The War Memorial is a cross standing to the left of the church porch.

CERIDEN has a photograph of the War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2009.

The names on this War Memorial cross can be found at the War memorials and cemeteries website.

Winster has a World War One Roll of Honour, created in 1924, that can be seen at the Derbyshire War Memorials site. Many of the names have been researched but the findings are NOT listed at this site.

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Military Records

These are the names from St. John the Baptist's dressed gritstone wheel cross on a plinth, with a pedestal and three-stepped base surrounded by railings. It is believed that all these men died in combat:

  1. pte. G. SIBSON
  2. srgt. J. MELLOR
  3. pte. R. A. NEWTON
  4. pte. W. CORLESS
  5. pte. S. ROUSE
  6. pte. B. H. HEATHCOTE
  7. pte. H. WALKER
  8. pte. J. N. WALKER
  9. pte. H. FOXLOW
  10. Capt. W. E. NIXON
  11. pte. A. WALKER
  12. pte. T. CONCANNON
  13. pte. G. W. GREGORY
  14. pte. W. SMITH
  15. pte. R. W. SHAW
  16. pte. J. E. NEWTON
  17. pte. L. M. BURTON
  18. pte. R. HODGKINSON
  19. pte. E. BOAM
  20. srgt. F. C. TAYLOR
  21. pte. M. S. WILLIAMS
  22. pte. D. CORLESS
  23. pte. F. W. ROUSE

    1939 - 1945
  24. lcpl. H. C. BOAM
  25. driv. A. SHEPHERD
  26. srgt. J. THORPE

There is a Roll of Honour for WW2 also in St. John's Church.

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Newspapers

Jane TAYLOR in Redcar has this announcement from the Derby Mercury of 24 October, 1804: MARRIED: "Friday se'nnight, at Barkeston, in the Vale of Belvoir, Mr. HUTCHINSON, of London, to Miss Frances GOODWIN, daughter of Mr. Wm. GOODWIN of Winster, in this county."

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Obituaries

Jane TAYLOR in Redcar contributes this snippet from the Derby Mercury of 15 September, 1803: DIED: "On Sunday se'nnight, at Winster, in this county, sincerely regretted by her family and acquaintance, Mrs STONE, wife of Mr. STONE, surgeon, aged 34.- And the day following, Jos. STONE, son of the above."

Jane TAYLOR in Redcar shares this extract from the Derby Mercury of 5 January 1904 DIED: "On Friday last, in the 61st year of his age, James SWEETENHAM, Esq. of Winster, in this county."

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Politics & Government

  • This place is an ancient Chapelry of Youlgreave parish in Derby county and it became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
     
  • This parish was in the ancient High Peak Hundred (or Wapentake).
     
  • You may contact the Winster Parish Council regarding civic or political issues, but they are NOT staffed to assist with family history searches.
     
  • District governance is provided by the Derbyshire Dales District Council.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Bakewell petty session hearings each Friday.
     
  • The parish had its own Poor House in the mid-1700s. A workhouse at Bank Top was opened in 1744. It had a rule that forbade any relief outside of the workhouse. By the 1770s it housed up to 40 inmates. CERIDWEN has a photograph of the Old Poor House on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2009.
     
  • As a result of the Poorlaw Amendment Act reforms of 1834, this parish became a member of the Bakewell Poorlaw Union.
     
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Schools

A Public Elementary School was built here in 1866 for 143 children.